Rachael walked into the building with a solemn expression on her face. Her heart was filled with guilt, fighting her against her decision to keep Rachael in the dark, knowing fully well that her mother was the one mostly responsible for her problems.
The murmurs from the other workers jolted her from her thoughts. At first, she thought it was the usual gossip about how she got demoted but when she noticed where they were heading, she followed it and it landed on the TV in the reception. It was breaking news about an accident that just occurred.
“A tragic accident has just occurred on a narrow road next to the Xavier’s general hospital. According to eyewitnesses, a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle at approximately 3 pm this afternoon” the female newscaster on the TV announced with a stoic expression on her face. “The victim, who was confirmed to be the fiancee of Liam Callahan, Isabelle Marino, was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries… Information from unknown sources tells us that the incident was planned by the maid and the mother of the business mogul, Liam Callahan over what we could tag as Jealousy. We……”
Rachael stood on a spot like she had been struck by lightning. The words of the newscaster kept on ringing in her ears. She was stunned, confused and shakened by the reality that her friend who she was thinking about a few minutes ago, was involved in a fatal accident. She had her premonitions about the new maid Liam had recently employed, but she had brushed it off as her being paranoid. Now, what she thought was just bad thoughts, had turned out to be real. Her guilt increased tenfold. She began to blame herself thinking that if she hadn’t left her at their spot because of her fear, then maybe the accident would have been prevented. However, the accident was planned.
“Rachael, are you okay?… Your expression looks like you’ve seen a ghost” A male worker tapped her lightly on the shoulder, bringing her back to earth. “You’ve been standing there for almost an hour now. it’s past lunch time and you need to get back to work”
“Okay.. thank you” she mumbled incoherently, moving slightly from her initial position. How could she work when her friend was at the hospital, battling with her life? She ran out of the office with plans of hailing a cab to the hospital, but then it clicked in her mind, her relationship with Isabelle was not known by many people and must not be discovered by their enemies. It wouldn’t take long for Damien to unwind her betrayal if she visits Isabelle without a cover.
She took a step back, feeling agitated and helpless. There was nothing she could do except to go back to work and wait for the perfect opportunity to see Isabelle. Suddenly, the silhouette of a man appeared before her.
“Rachael” the man called out to her with agitation in his voice. “Why have you been avoiding me?”
“William” Rachael gasped in shock as she frantically searched around her workplace for any lurkers that had seen him. She pulled him by the arm and dragged him away from their current spot. Unknown to her, a darkened gaze from the top floor lingered on her till she and William were out of sight.
“William, why are you here?… Can you see it’s my workplace?… I can’t afford to be seen by any colleagues most especially my boss” Racheal yelled angrily at him, her gaze searching around for any passersby that could recognize her. “What do you want?”
“I wasn’t looking for you. I was just passing by and saw you trying to hail a cab, so I came to meet you” William explained with hurt in his voice, his gaze lingering softly on her. “Is there a problem?…. You looked like something terrible had happened”
Rachael was irritated by his question and gazed scornfully at him. “You blockhead, don’t you listen to the news. Isabelle was hit by a car and now she’s in the hospital.. I was going to see her”
William stood there in shock, his mouth agape as it dawned on him, the severity of the situation. “Your friend was involved in an accident just recently?…. How did it happen?… Do you want to go see her, I can take you there”
“What exactly do you not understand?… I can’t see her, it would cause a whole lot of problems if my boss found out… And besides, the incident was planned, not as unexpected as it was meant to be”
“I’m sorry, I never knew it was this serious” William uttered with an apologetic tone as he scrolled through his phone, reading the news of the accident. “So, what do you intend on doing?”
“I don’t know. maybe, wait till the coast is clear” Rachael muttered with uncertainty in her voice, tears welling up in her eyes. “Maybe, if I had stayed with her, then none of this would have happened… My guilt is killing me… Maybe I should just tell her the truth about her mother”
“I have no idea about what you’re talking about, but one thing I know is that you shouldn’t keep secrets from your friend, secrets that would end up destroying the relationship you worked hard to build “William admonished her with a serious expression on his face, his tone softened. “You should tell her if there’s a need to, but be ready for whatever comes next”
“Do you think she’ll forgive me?” Rachael asked, tears pouring from her eyes as her gaze lingered with pain, on Damien. “I can’t stand to lose our friendship. It’s the first I have had in a long time”
Damien pulled her into his warm embrace and patted her lightly on the back,” As long as she hears the truth from you, I believe you still have a chance to renew your bond. But just prepare yourself for the outcome”
“Well, well, well… Look what we have here” a female voice filled with mockery, interrupted the solemnity of the atmosphere. “So, I was right when I said you were into another man. I wonder how Damien would react to this”
Rachael turned to look her the intruder, her gaze turned sharp,” Gina, what do you want this time?”